The log now reads 999 miles to go and the first of the boats we are in contact with arrived at Hiva Oa this morning. It is very useful to have reports from our destination. For instance we had thought that provisioning would be difficult but as it turns out onions, potatoes, tomatoes and eggs are all available. All things we expected to have to do without once our supplies from the Galapagos and Panama run out. However, we still have an impending tea bag crisis.

We have started fishing again today having had mahi-mahi in every way the ship's restaurant could serve up, includng simply fried with a little lime and garlic, as a chowder, as burritos, as steaks baked with a topping of thinly sliced potatoes and as part of a stir fry. We have yet to have had curried mahi-mahi but that would be unfair on a fish that is so delicious.We have also had squid, collected from the deck in the morning where they had crash landed with a couple of flying fish, and stuffed for dinner. Lorraine finds other ways to try to fatten me up whilst I have no exercise: baking bread every few nights, making banana bread with overripe bananas, baking chocolate brownies and tonight producing a chocolate pudding.

So far the boat has behaved well and we do not appear to be having the wear and tear that we experienced in the Atlantic when we had a broken spinnaker pole, a jammed furling gear and a torn sail. Other boats around have been less lucky with 2 boats experiencing breakdown of their self steering gear. Our friends Marno and Shelley on Attitudes have lost the paddle on their self steering and torn their mainsail from top to bottom. They are now having to hand steer for the last 500 miles which will be very tiring and dominate their days. At least if we have a problem with the self steering (wind operated) we can still use the autopilot (electirc powered).

Last night we saw our first boat in 8 days. It was a large Japanese fishing boat, or just possibly a research vessel and came within 100 yards of us, presumably just to have a look. They looked very bored and were going along very slowly as if waiting for something. Lorraine wondered if they were a whaler but there was nothing obvious such as a harpoon to suggest this.

Clearer nights have allowed us to do some more star gazing and I can now identify the Southern Cross. ( Pathetic compared to any of the Northern constellations - I wouldn't want it on my flag.) I can also identify the Scorpion ( it actually does look like one) and the beautiful red star of Antares. We can also still see the Plough ...but very low down on the Northern horizon.

I still cannot get used to the sun being to the North of us.....or the water going down the plughole tyhe wrong way!